Truckin'

Meredith's on the move. Mostly in a backward sort of direction, but we don't think that's indicative of any lifetime trends. She does more pushups per day than we even like to think about, and she pushes her legs up too and then rocks back and forth as if thinking "if i can just get enough momentum." And then she proceeds to scoot backwards, away from whatever toy was tempting her. Darn it. She'll get there.

Fun with Crawfish

Sunday's entertainment was the Rajun Cajun Crawfish Festival down by the Mississippi. We did not compete in any eating contests. In fact, as you can probably tell by the looks on our faces, we weren't sure about eating the crustaceans in a slow and deliberate fashion, much less in a rush. But it was an incredibly beautiful day and we got to enjoy it on a perfect patio, away from the Harleys, the inebriated and the smells of cooking crawfish. Now THAT'S a festival.


Meredith just trusts her dad. Silly girl.


Mom tells the truth.


I'll just have crackers, thanks. (Actually, Walt gave the crawfish a try!)


Ginger isn't so sure.


John isn't afraid.

Casual Friday

Meredith crashed hard when we got home today, and I couldn't miss the opportunity to take a picture of her tiny Levi-clad bum. And for your Friday afternoon viewing pleasure, here are some more pics from the California trip.

Easter in Paradise

We had a wonderful California vacation. Meredith took the opportunity to begin sitting up entirely on her own on a regular basis, while also establishing herself as the frequent roller she now is. Our "put the baby in the middle of the bed" days are officially over. Here are some pics -- more will come later!


It's the pope? It's a martian? It's BABY BUNNY!


First day in the pool.


Easter with Great Grandma Poo


Easter with Mama


Pool party!


There was no Easter parade, but if there HAD been, we would have been ready.

Sit up and Take Notice!

Meredith will be sure that you DO take notice, because this is all she wants to do these days. No longer content to lie on her back and watch the ceiling fan work its magic, Meredith now demands a more sophisticated level of entertainment. And that entertainment must take place while sitting up -- even if she's exhausted and not really capable of doing so. That's where mom and dad come into play. As props.

She's even made a few moves that resemble crawling. We keep telling her that she doesn't know how to do that yet, but when the toy is out of reach (or the computer), well then, a girl's gotta do what a girl's gotta do.

Happy Birthday to Meredith's Dad

So here's how you surprise Chris for his birthday. First, you plan the surprise party. Then, you watch as he decides to throw exactly the same party for himself. You listen as he calls all the same people and invites them to the same place. But you roll with it, you bite your tongue, and it all turns out okay.

Step 1: Leave the kids with the babysitter.

Step 2: Try not to frighten your friends' kid before leaving.

Step 3: Surprise! And here's a team USA jersey from your friend Dave--that's even better than a party!

Step 4: Cheers to the best friends a guy could ever have!
Step 5: Awww...

Step 6: Recover! (it ain't easy to surprise this guy)

Egg Tree

All I'll say about the Easter Egg Tree is that it wasn't my idea and it wasn't Meredith's idea...that's all I'll say. Notice Mer's death grip on her bottom lip...And for Gran, here's Robert's pic of the deer friends.

Weekend in Arkansas

It was a great weekend in Arkansas with family. Here are some highlights!
Meredith doesn't look too bummed that she can't play in the badminton game that she's watching.

Meredith with her beautiful Great Aunt Judy.

Meredith is not concerned that she's upside down. In fact, she can still gnaw on her hands.

Robert and Taurean look like they were born and raised in Arkansas!